Dengue Is Surging in Florida—and It’s Claimed Its First Life in Nearly 100 Years - Gizmodo

A dangerous viral disease spread by mosquitoes is making inroads into the United States—and it’s now claimed the life of a Florida woman.

Officials with the Florida Department of Health confirmed the dengue-related death of a Hillsborough County resident, the Tampa Bay Times reported over the weekend. The resident, identified by her family as 80-year-old Gay Small, died earlier this month. Her death is the first recorded in the state from dengue in nearly a century and comes amidst a surge of cases reported in Florida this year.

According to her family, Small first started to feel ill in late August.

She had developed a tremor, slurred speech, and broken blood vessels around her ankles. Her daughter, Anna Small, rushed her to urgent care, where a doctor then sent her to the hospital. By Sunday, August 30, Small informed her daughter that she had been diagnosed with dengue fever.